Among the various environments in which illumination flares are used, perhaps the most common environment for the use of flares involves the illumination of military battle grounds. In such applications, the flares are launched above ground or water areas where enemy personnel and vehicles are suspected to be present. The illumination provided by the flare facilitates visual detection of the enemy personnel and vehicles, providing more precise identification of target locations at which to aim ordnance. The illuminating effect provided by the flare is enhanced by equipping the flare with a parachute, which increases the flight time and illumination time by slowing the rate of descent for the illumination flare. Deployment of the parachute provides a force for actuating an igniter assembly housed in the flare.
Igniter assemblies for illumination flares include a slider that operates by sliding radially as a result of force from a parachute cable. When the slider slides radially, a striker arm is released to strike against an explosive composition to initiate ignition. Accordingly, there is a risk and safety concern that inadvertent sliding motion of the slider, such as resulting from accidentally dropping an illumination flare, may result in inadvertent ignition of the illumination flare. Therefore, reliable means for safely reducing inadvertent ignition and for providing reliable ignition upon parachute deployment are desired.